On 22 Mar 2005 15:25:37 -0800, "Chuckie" wrote:

I have only been able to keep a 50 or 55 night temp no matter what I
do.
I live in norteastern ohio and for the last couple of days there really
has not been any sun to speak of. Today though the sun broke through
and the gh heated up to high temps. I had to open the door to keep the
heat down. I do not have any plants yet I am still waiting on them to
sprout but it there a temp the gh should be at when plants are growing?

As I mentioned, many (most?) common veg and flower seeds need about
75F to germinate. This is why people often start seeds in trays on the
refrigerator or water heater -- bottom heat warms the planting medium
and the seeds sprout. Once they're up, they need light, and can take
somewhat lower air temperatures. There are various versions of heating
mats that will provide localized warmth. Take a look at

http://www.gardeners.com/Shopping/de...ecGro upNum=3

These can be quite pricey, but last a long time and use very little
power. People have also devised 'home-brew' heaters with electric
blankets and the like. Be careful -- electric blankets aren't designed
to be operated when wet!

If you have a seed-starting tray with a clear cover and bottom heat,
you have a mini-greenhouse that should protect the seeds even when the
big temperature inside the big greenhouse gets quite low. Once the
seeds sprout, and grow enough that you have to remove the cover on the
seed-starting tray, the bottom heat will still provide a fair amount
of localized warmth. It is suggested that things like tomatoes and
peppers not be set outside until the nighttime temperature is above
55F, so I would say that keeping the greenhouse somewhere above that
temperature for the growing plants would be sufficient.